The erratic weather put Cleve West's Chelsea flower show garden through its paces this year, with floods threatening his sculptures and frost attacking his beech hedge.

So it was a fitting tribute to his horticultural creation that on Tuesday, as his £250,000 project was declared best in show by the judges, the sun came out across the country to celebrate.

For the second year in a row, the 53-year-old garden designer and allotment enthusiast was awarded the top prize at the Royal Horticultural Society show, this year for a playful but dignified garden in honour of the 250th anniversary of investment managers Brewin Dolphin.

With its yew hedges cut into differing forms, the garden proved "the continuing popularity of topiary", said the RHS.

West, a former athlete, planted red, white and blue flowers in order to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee.

Other winners included Diarmuid Gavin, creator of the Westland Magical Garden pyramid, which was declared the most creative show garden for its seven, individually-themed storeys.

Japanese designer Kazuyuki Ishihara was awarded the best artisan garden for Satoyama Life, while Easigrass, a company that makes artificial grass, won best fresh garden. TV gardener Joe Swift won gold for his first Chelsea show garden, the Homebase Teenage Cancer Trust garden.

Bob Sweet, Chelsea's head of shows development, said: "We have been delighted to see an abundance of impressive, ambitious and diverse gardens in each category.

"Our designers have continued to push the boundaries of horticultural design and set trends which will filter out into the wider gardening landscape."

The results were announced on what the Met Office confirmed was the warmest day of the year, with temperatures reaching 26.7C in the Solent.

Barring the risk of a few isolated showers and some cloud and fog on Wednesday morning, the good weather was expected to continue for the rest of the week, said the Met Office.